# A7 motorway (Netherlands)

The A7 motorway is a motorway in the Netherlands connecting Zaandam, via the Afsluitdijk, Sneek and Groningen to the German border near Bad Nieuweschans. The entire road is part of the European route E22, with exception of the first kilometer, between the terminus in Zaandam and the interchange Zaandam. The total length is 236 km.

## Motorway interruptions

The motorway A7 is interrupted twice:
* Around Sneek, the road is demoted to a highway for several kilometers, and includes some at-grade intersections The at-grade intersections were replaced with grade-separated intersections in 2008–2010. However, it isn't a motorway.
* Also, around the city of Groningen, it is demoted over a distance of several kilometers, mainly for the at-grade intersection with motorway A28, and for the road's small alignment through the city in general.
Both of the abovementioned sections are denoted as N7 to distinguish those parts from the motorway, for which the A designation is used in the Netherlands. The A7 together with the N7 is called the Rijksweg 7.
| Westbound N7 near Groningen. | Interruption of the A7 in Groningen. |

## Speed limit experiment

From March 2011, on a section of the A7 motorway, motorists were allowed to drive at 130 km/h (80 mph), opposed to the then national speed limit of 120 km/h (75 mph). This was a government test to investigate if driving at these higher speeds have an effect on the environment and safety. The test resulted positively, and the national speed limit was raised to 130 km/h (80 mph) in October 2012.

## Afsluitdijk

The A7 runs across a historic part of Dutch engineering, the Afsluitdijk. This dam was originally created to protect the country's long interior coastline from floods by creating a large freshwater lake. The road over the Afsluitdijk was previously a 2-lane N road, but is now a proper motorway; the upgrade to motorway was achieved by utilising the dike's unused railway reservation for the second carriageway. Its midpoint is near the village of Breezanddijk. The former State Secretary for Infrastructure and the Environment, Joop Atsma, issued a statement detailing the factors influencing the decision to build a new naviduct on the Afsluitdijk section of the A7 at Kornwerderzand. A naviduct and new locks was costed at €200–450 million, depending on the size of locks and size of highway. A naviduct would give waiting time annualised benefits €13 million to road traffic, based on the existing bridge opening 7,000 times a year. Cost–benefit analysis of all potential solutions were considered, and a naviduct could be built to replace the locks when they reach the end of their useful life in 2050.

## Exit list

| Country | Province | Municipality | km | mi | Exit | Destinations | Notes |
| Netherlands | North Holland | Zaanstad | 4 | 2.5 | — | S 151 west / S 155 | |
| Netherlands | North Holland | Zaanstad | 5 | 3.1 | — | A 8 / E22 northeast | West end of E 22 overlap |
| Netherlands | North Holland | Zaanstad | 7 | 4.3 | 2 | N 515 west | |
| Netherlands | North Holland | Wormerland | 11 | 6.8 | 3 | Oosterdwarsweg | |
| Netherlands | North Holland | Purmerend | 14 | 8.7 | 4 | Laan der Continenten | |
| Netherlands | North Holland | Purmerend | 15 | 9.3 | 5 | N 235 east / Zuiddijk | |
| Netherlands | North Holland | Purmerend | 17 | 11 | 6 | N 244 | |
| Netherlands | North Holland | Koggenland | 29 | 18 | 7 | N 243 southwest / N 247 south | |
| Netherlands | North Holland | Hoorn | 32 | 20 | 8 | Provincialeweg | |
| Netherlands | North Holland | Hoorn | 34 | 21 | 9 | N 307 east (Westfrisiaweg) | |
| Netherlands | North Holland | Medemblik | 36 | 22 | 10 | N 241 west (A.C. de Graafweg) / Tender | |
| Netherlands | North Holland | Medemblik | 39 | 24 | 10a | Tuinstraat / Broerdijk | |
| Netherlands | North Holland | Medemblik | 43 | 27 | 11 | N 239 (Dijkweg) | |
| Netherlands | North Holland | Wieringermeer | 50 | 31 | 12 | N 242 southwest (Alkmaarseweg) | |
| Netherlands | North Holland | Wieringermeer | 55 | 34 | 13 | N 240 west and south / N 248 south | |
| Netherlands | North Holland | Wieringen | 64 | 40 | 14 | N 99 southwest (Rijksstraatweg) | |
| Netherlands | IJsselmeer / Wadden Sea | IJsselmeer / Wadden Sea | | | Afsluitdijk | Afsluitdijk | Afsluitdijk |
| Netherlands | Friesland | Súdwest Fryslân | 101 | 63 | — | A 31 | |
| Netherlands | Friesland | Súdwest Fryslân | 101 | 63 | 15 | | |
| Netherlands | Friesland | Súdwest Fryslân | 105 | 65 | 16 | Weersterweg | |
| Netherlands | Friesland | Súdwest Fryslân | 110 | 68 | 17 | N 359 / Oude Rijksweg | |
| Netherlands | Friesland | Súdwest Fryslân | 112 | 70 | 18 | Kloosterlaan | |
| Netherlands | Friesland | Súdwest Fryslân | 115 | 71 | 19 | Tsjaerddyk / Hottingawei | |
| Netherlands | Friesland | Súdwest Fryslân | 118 | 73 | 20 | State As | West end of N7 road designation |
| Netherlands | Friesland | Súdwest Fryslân | 119 | 74 | 21 | N 354 south (Lemmerweg) / Lemmerweg | |
| Netherlands | Friesland | Súdwest Fryslân | 119 | 74 | 21a | Akkenwinde / Selfhelpweg | Westbound exit and eastbound entrance only |
| Netherlands | Friesland | Súdwest Fryslân | 120 | 75 | 22 | N 354 northeast / Oppenhuizerweg / Lorentzstraat / Burgemeester Rasterhofflaan | East end of N7 road designation |
| Netherlands | Friesland | Skarsterlân | 133 | 83 | 23 | Woudfennen | |
| Netherlands | Friesland | Skarsterlân | 136 | 85 | — | A 6 southwest / Geert Knolweg | |
| Netherlands | Friesland | Skarsterlân | 140 | 87 | 25 | De Dolten / Nije Fjildwei | |
| Netherlands | Friesland | Heerenveen | 142 | 88 | 26 | Wetterwille / Weinmakker / Nije Fjildwei | Westbound exit and eastbound entrance only |
| Netherlands | Friesland | Heerenveen | 144 | 89 | — | A 32 | |
| Netherlands | Friesland | Heerenveen | 147 | 91 | 26a | Zestienroeden / Pastoriesingel | |
| Netherlands | Friesland | Opsterland | 152 | 94 | 27 | N 392 (Koaibosk) | |
| Netherlands | Friesland | Opsterland | 158 | 98 | 28 | Beetserweg | |
| Netherlands | Friesland | Smallingerland | 161 | 100 | 29 | Zuiderhogeweg | |
| Netherlands | Friesland | Smallingerland | 165 | 103 | 30 | N 381 south | |
| Netherlands | Friesland | Smallingerland | 165 | 103 | 30a | N 31 northwest | |
| Netherlands | Friesland | Opsterland | 170 | 110 | 31 | N 358 northwest (De Scheiding) / De Scheiding | |
| Netherlands | Groningen | Marum | 176 | 109 | 32 | N 980 north (Noorderweg) / Noorderweg / Noorderringweg / Parallelweg | |
| Netherlands | Groningen | Marum | 180 | 110 | 33 | N 388 north (Boerakkerweg) / Boerakkerweg | |
| Netherlands | Groningen | Leek | 184 | 114 | 34 | N 372 south (Oude Postweg) / N 978 north (Oude Postweg) / Pasop / Blinkweg / Lage Traan / Kapteynlaan | |
| Netherlands | Groningen | Groningen | 191 | 119 | 34a | Westpoortboulevard / Matsloot | Southern exit lies partially in Noordenveld, Drenthe |
| Netherlands | Groningen | Groningen | 193 | 120 | 35 | N 372 south (Ruskenveen) / Zuiderweg / Roderwolderdijk | |
| Netherlands | Groningen | Groningen | 196 | 122 | 36 | N 370 north (Laan 1940-1945) / Jan Evert Scholtenlaan / Laan Corpus Den Hoorn / Paterswoldseweg / Muntinglaan | West end of N7 road designation |
| Netherlands | Groningen | Groningen | 196 | 122 | 36a | N 370 north | Westbound entrance only |
| Netherlands | Groningen | Groningen | 197 | 122 | — | E232 south (Julianaweg) / A 28 / Emmaviaduct / Hoornsediep | |
| Netherlands | Groningen | Groningen | 198 | 123 | 37 | Hereweg | |
| Netherlands | Groningen | Groningen | 198 | 123 | 37a | Meeuwerderbaan / Europaweg / Winschoterdiep | Westbound entrance and eastbound exit only |
| Netherlands | Groningen | Groningen | 199 | 124 | 38 | Europaweg / Bergenweg / Lübeckweg / Osloweg / Euvelgunnebrug / Gotenburgweg / Kieler Bocht / Skagerrak | |
| Netherlands | Groningen | Groningen | 204 | 127 | — | N 46 northwest (Beneluxweg) | |
| Netherlands | Groningen | Groningen | 205 | 127 | 39 | Europaweg | East end of N7 road designation |
| Netherlands | Groningen | Hoogezand-Sappemeer | 213 | 132 | 40 | N 386 southwest (Rengerslaan) / Rengerslaan / A.B. Nobellaan | |
| Netherlands | Groningen | Hoogezand-Sappemeer | 215 | 134 | 41 | N 385 south (Kerkstraat) / N 387 north (Provinciale Weg) / Rijksweg West / Rijksweg Oost / Knijpslaan | |
| Netherlands | Groningen | Hoogezand-Sappemeer | 218 | 135 | 42 | Noordbroeksterstraat / Rijksweg oost | |
| Netherlands | Groningen | Menterwolde | 222 | 138 | 43 | Kerkstraat / Europaweg / Burgemeester Omtaweg | |
| Netherlands | Groningen | Menterwolde | 224 | 139 | 44 | N 33 | |
| Netherlands | Groningen | Oldambt | 230 | 140 | 45 | N 362 north (Rijksweg) / Rijksweg | |
| Netherlands | Groningen | Oldambt | 232 | 144 | 46 | N 964 south | |
| Netherlands | Groningen | Oldambt | 240 | 150 | 47 | N 367 south (Oostereinde) / N 966 northeast (Oostereinde) / N 967 north | |
| Netherlands | Groningen | Oldambt | 246 | 153 | 48 | Ulsda / Ulsderweg / Heeresloot | |
| Netherlands | Groningen | Oldambt | 251 | 156 | 49 | Hamdijk | |
| Netherlands / Germany country line | Groningen / Lower Saxony province line | Reiderland / Bunde municipality line | | | — | E22 / A 280 east | Border with Germany; this road continues as the German A280; east end of E 22 overlap |
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Concurrency terminus Incomplete access Route transition ||||||||